There’s a reason why most people would advise you to use a seasoned pro to install the tiles or the wooden floor. Simply put, floor installation of any soft can test out even a seasoned professional but if you are still determined to hedge expenses and handle it yourself – you would do well to check out the rest of the post. The fact remains that flooring installation of any type, from tiles to timber can stress you out and cause you to commit mistakes which is why you use a professional to get the job done. But that aside, do check out some of the common mistakes that most homeowners make, when installing the floor on their own.
Cracking the tile
When it comes to flooring in Wellington, you would find that the number one mistake tends to be cracking the tile. And most of these homeowners tend to make the mistake of laying the tile onto the substrate directly. And if the substrate happens to be concrete, you should know that it would tend to crack and shrink as the concrete cures, and this can cause additional stress on the tiles that are laid on the top. This is a rookie mistake and you would be surprised at the number of homeowners who make the same, all year long. And if you are not interested in running up additional expenses by getting your tiles cracked, you would do well enough to remove the concrete substrate before laying on the tiles.
Insufficient support
If you are planning to lay natural stone tiles onto the wooden floor, the first thing that you would need to do is to determine if the wooden floor can support the stone. And most homeowners and even a few professionals often give this a miss, with the result, that a ¾ inch plywood can hardly support stone tiles. And that’s the reason why you need to lay on an additional layer of wood and screw it in place so that there’s enough support and it does not crack the tile.
Curing
As every professional knows, when it comes to the curing process – be it the grout, caulk, or for that matter any other sealant – it all requires time to set in properly. Granted that you may be in a hurry but if you do not give these sealants enough time to set, it is bound to end up in a disaster, with the sealants not having any effect. So make sure that you review the instructions and read over the curing time, carefully before you use that particular sealant on your floor.
Start at the right place
As most pros would advise you when it comes to a wooden floor installation, you often need to determine which would be the right place to start. The mistake most amateurs and even seasoned professionals make is by starting somewhere easy and moving on. The result is that they would find the process, a challenge to finish. Just assess your floor and determine as to which would be the focal point and this would essentially be the door-jamb or the register, and move on from there. The result should be much more attractive.
The door jamb
When it comes to the wooden floor, most amateurs often fail to cut the wooden boards adequately. They do not cut around the door jamb or the casing. The result is that you would have a highly visible gap around the door which would then need to be covered with caulk. And this is why you always take the door into account when laying on the wooden floor.
These are some of the mistakes that you need to avoid when installing the floor on your own.
